There is significant emphasis on Pro Days in pre-draft preparations for players and teams with the NFL combination canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. One of the professional days the 49ers attended was Clemson’s quarterback Trevor Lawrence. While San Francisco might be in the market for a signal caller early in the draft, there isn’t a move they can make that will push the top overall pick and Lawrence away from the Jacksonville Jaguars.
So why did they make the trip to see the star prospect? 49ers vice president of player personnel Adam Peters explained to Matt Barrows with a fascinating look the team’s tight preparations for this year’s draft.
“It wasn’t just Trevor Lawrence,” Peters told Barrows at Athletic. “There were a couple of (Clemson players) there. And Ethan Waugh, our college principal, lives in South Carolina. So it’s an easy ride for him. And then Steve Rubio, who is our scout from the southeast, there are a couple of other Clemson players there along with some professional free agents. “
Peters also noted that the 49ers did a final job closing a report on Lawrence, who will certainly go to the Jaguars with the first overall pick.
It makes sense that the team didn’t want to divulge exactly who was available to watch, but the Tigers are a club loaded with a lot of professional-caliber talent, including running back Travis Etienne and offensive lineman Jackson Carman. Undrafted 2020 49ers rookie Chris Finke was one of the free agents present to catch balls from Lawrence.
While the 49ers are still figuring out exactly how they want to navigate every professional day, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see them show up at several of the best quarterbacks in-person workouts. General manager John Lynch has already pointed out that he attended Patrick Mahomes Pro Day as a smokescreen, but the club could also be looking at some of the top callers or some of the others exercising that day.
Attendance at Pro Day is important, but it may not always be what it seems, as was the case in the San Francisco presence to see Lawrence.